An optimized gateway selection process of the present invention is based on a universal mobility manager (UMM), a component for inter-technology location management. The UMM is capable of holding location information for diverse cellular networks, as well as for Internet telephony systems. For cellular networks, UMM acts as a traditional HLR; for an Internet telephony network, it acts as the entities that are responsible for user/terminal registration (registrar in SIP, gatekeeper in H.323) and address resolution (proxy server in SIP, gatekeeper in H.323). An optimal gateway selection is possible based on location related information provided by the UMM which had not previously been available. Utilizing the newly available information enables a gateway to be selected which may, for example, enable the circuit switched portion of a call to now be minimized.
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1. A method of selecting a gateway to support a call from a user of a first network to a user of a second network, the method comprising the steps of: querying a unified location management device having stored therein location information associated with the user of the second network; and selecting the gateway based on the location information provided by the unified location management device; wherein in the case of an internet telephony device calling a mobile device, the unified location manager operates as an inbound proxy for a given IP domain to allow selection of a location dependent routable temporary phone number such that a call path from the internet telephony device to the mobile device bypasses the mobile device's home MSC or gateway MSC.
A method selects a gateway for a call between a user on a first network (e.g., cellular or internet telephony) and a user on a second network (e.g., cellular or internet telephony). The method involves querying a unified location management device (UMM). This UMM stores location information for users across diverse networks. The gateway is then selected based on this location information. Specifically, when an internet telephony device calls a mobile device, the UMM acts as an inbound proxy, allowing selection of a temporary, location-dependent, routable phone number, thus bypassing the mobile device's home network's MSC (Mobile Switching Center) or gateway MSC.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the case of a PSTN originated call to an internet telephony user, a cellular number is used to denote the internet telephony telephone.
The gateway selection method from the previous description is modified such that, when a call originates from the PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) to an internet telephony user, a cellular phone number is used to represent the internet telephony user's phone number.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of selecting is optimized by providing a selection that minimizes any one of triangle routing, a PSTN call leg or an Internet call leg.
The gateway selection method described earlier optimizes the selection process to minimize triangle routing (where traffic inefficiently routes to a central hub), minimize the duration of PSTN call legs, or minimize the duration of Internet call legs, leading to a more efficient call path.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein selection of said gateway is optimized by selecting a gateway that minimizes a circuit switched portion of a call.
The gateway selection method is optimized to minimize the portion of the call that utilizes circuit-switched networks (e.g., PSTN), potentially reducing costs or improving call quality by favoring internet telephony legs.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said location related information is used to assign a location dependent routable temporary telephone number for use in said gateway selection.
The gateway selection method uses location-related information from the unified location management device to assign a location-dependent, routable, temporary telephone number. This temporary number is then used in the gateway selection process, enabling routing that considers the user's current location.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said internet telephony accounts are SIP accounts.
In the gateway selection method, the internet telephony accounts involved are specifically SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) accounts.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said mobile location information can correspond to an internet telephony user.
In the gateway selection method, the mobile location information stored by the unified location management device can also include location information for internet telephony users, allowing the system to handle mobility for both cellular and internet telephony devices.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said location related information provides assignment of a GSM/UMTS temporary phone number.
Building on the previous method, the location-related information from the unified location management system provides the assignment of a GSM/UMTS temporary phone number, enabling location-aware routing for mobile users on GSM/UMTS networks.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said unified location manager is operable as a home location register for cellular networks and as a user registration and address resolution device for internet telephony networks.
The unified location manager in the gateway selection method functions as a home location register (HLR) for cellular networks (storing subscriber and location data) and also as a user registration and address resolution device (like a registrar in SIP or a gatekeeper in H.323) for internet telephony networks.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said universal location manager uses a current Care-of-Address for providing said location related information for a mobile Internet telephony user.
In the gateway selection method, the unified location manager utilizes a current Care-of-Address for providing location-related information specifically for mobile internet telephony users, ensuring that routing decisions are based on the user's current network attachment point.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of said first and second networks is circuit switched network and one of said first and second networks is an internet telephony network.
In the gateway selection method, one of the networks involved in the call (either the originating or terminating network) is a circuit-switched network (e.g., PSTN), and the other is an internet telephony network (e.g., VoIP).
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second networks utilize different ones of a plurality of network protocols, the plurality of network protocols comprising any of ANSI-41, GSM MAP, SIP, and H.323.
In the gateway selection method, the first and second networks involved use different network protocols, including ANSI-41 (older cellular), GSM MAP (cellular), SIP (internet telephony), and H.323 (internet telephony). The unified location manager and gateway selection process accommodate these different protocols.
13. A method of selecting a gateway to support a call from a user of a first network to a user of a second network, the method comprising the steps of: providing by a unified location management device in response to a query for location information associated with the user of the second network, said location information used for selecting the gateway, wherein in the case of an internet telephony device calling a mobile device, the unified location manager operates as an inbound proxy for a given IP domain to allow selection of a location dependent routable temporary phone number such that a call path from the internet telephony device to the mobile device bypasses the mobile device's home MSC or gateway MSC.
A method for selecting a gateway between two networks utilizes a unified location management device (UMM). When queried for location information about a user on the second network, the UMM provides that information. This location data is used to select an appropriate gateway. When an internet telephony device calls a mobile device, the UMM functions as an inbound proxy. This proxy enables the selection of a routable, location-dependent, temporary phone number. Using this temporary number allows the call to bypass the mobile device's home MSC or gateway MSC, potentially optimizing the call path.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein in the case of a PSTN originated call to an internet telephony user, a cellular number is used to denote the internet telephony telephone and said internet telephony accounts are SIP accounts.
In the gateway selection method from the previous description, when a call originates from the PSTN to an internet telephony user, a cellular phone number is used to identify the internet telephony user. Furthermore, the internet telephony accounts involved use the SIP protocol.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein said step of selecting is optimized by providing a selection that minimizes any one of triangle routing, a PSTN call leg or an Internet call leg.
The gateway selection method described earlier optimizes gateway selection to minimize triangle routing, PSTN call leg duration, or Internet call leg duration. This optimization aims for more efficient and direct call routing.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein said location related information is used to assign a location dependent routable temporary telephone number for use in said gateway selection.
In the gateway selection method, location-related information is used to assign a location-dependent routable temporary telephone number. This temporary number facilitates informed gateway selection based on the user's current location.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein said mobile location information can correspond to an internet telephony user and said location related information provides assignment of a GSM/UMTS temporary phone number wherein the universal location manager uses a current Care-of-Address for providing said location related information for a mobile Internet telephony user.
The gateway selection method can use mobile location information that corresponds to internet telephony users. The location-related information also allows assignment of a GSM/UMTS temporary phone number. The unified location manager employs a Care-of-Address for providing location information specifically for mobile Internet telephony users, ensuring current location accuracy.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein said unified location manager is operable as a home location register for cellular networks and as a user registration and address resolution device for internet telephony networks.
The unified location manager within the gateway selection method operates both as a home location register (HLR) for cellular networks and as a user registration/address resolution service for internet telephony, combining functionalities for different network types.
19. The method of claim 13 , wherein one of said first and second networks is circuit switched network and one of said first and second networks is an internet telephony network wherein the first and second networks utilize different ones of a plurality of network protocols, the plurality of network protocols comprising any of ANSI-41, GSM MAP, SIP, and H.323.
In this gateway selection method, one network is circuit-switched and the other is an internet telephony network. These networks can utilize different protocols like ANSI-41, GSM MAP, SIP, and H.323, with the system designed to interoperate among these protocols.
20. An apparatus for selecting a gateway to support a call from a user of a first network to a user of a second network, comprising: a unified location management device for providing location information associated with the user of the second network, in response to a query for said location information used for selecting the gateway, wherein in the case of an internet telephony device calling a mobile device, the unified location manager operates as an inbound proxy for a given IP domain to allow selection of a location dependent routable temporary phone number such that a call path from the internet telephony device to the mobile device bypasses the mobile device's home MSC or gateway MSC.
An apparatus for gateway selection between two networks includes a unified location management device. This device provides location information for the user of the second network in response to a query. The gateway is then selected using this location data. Specifically, when an internet telephony device calls a mobile device, the unified location manager acts as an inbound proxy for a specific IP domain. This allows the apparatus to choose a location-dependent, routable, temporary phone number, which then bypasses the mobile device's home MSC or gateway MSC during call routing.
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December 15, 2009
August 13, 2013
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